American Serb History 101

Thank you to Paul Bielich, Vlajko Lugonja's loyal and worthy successor, for all this wonderful history about the Serbian Singing Federation for us to always have at our fingertips! Thank you, Paul!

I liken Paul to the famous guslar, Philip Visnich! (MKB 6/8/2020)

BIRTH OF THE SERBIAN SINGING FEDERATION       

The idea of founding choral societies was entertained for some time before it was realized. The credit of founding the Serbian Singing Federation goes to Vladimir M. Lugonja ("Vlajko"). Armed with the insight that no choir can exist long by itself, Vlajko persisted in his efforts to organize a national federation of choirs. 

In 1930, he wrote a series of twelve articles published in the "Srbobran," conferred with many local choral groups' leaders, spoke at banquets and succeeded to arouse the interest for a national singing federation. 

Vlajko was greatly encouraged by the responses to his articles and called a Conference for March, 1931 to discuss the need for and the organization of a national Serbian choral organization. Delegates from the then existing choirs heard reports, discussed the issues and decided to call a convention to formalize the organization, elect officers, and proceed to bring about the movement which grew from the founding five to the present forty-seven choirs throughout the United States and Canada. 

The first Convention of the Serbian Singing Federation was held in October, 1931 , consisting of representatives from five singing societies: 

• Chicago, "Branko Radichevich" • South Chicago, "Sloboda" • Gary, "Karageorge" • Detroit, "Ravanica" • Youngstown, "Vojvoda Putnik" 

These five choirs were established as the charter member choirs. It was this historic Convention that laid the foundations of the Serbian Singing Federation and set its direction for future expansion and growth. Elected as the first officers of the Serbian Singing Federation were: 

• Petar Sekulovich (Gary), President • Milica Stanizan (Chicago), Vice-President • Bozo Cucujlevic (South Chicago), Vice-President • Vladimir M. Lugonja, (Detroit), Secretary • Pajo Perencevich (Youngstown), Assistant Secretary • Nada Sulich (Chicago), Financial Secretary • And, Stevo Bogdanovich (Chicago), Treasurer. 

Both the March, 1931 Conference and the October, 1931 Convention were held in the Christopher House in Chicago. The SSF Headquarters was housed in Vlajko's home until 1936, in the City of Highland Park, a suburb of Detroit, Michigan.

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SSF FESTIVAL REMEMBRANCES

During World War II, choral activities were greatly reduced. Many choirs became temporarily inactive and the membership of the SSF fell from nearly thirty choirs to only eleven.

There were no festivals during the war years and only one convention. During this period singers assisted SSF Secretary, Vlajko Lugonja, in the shipment of thousands of parcels of clothes and food to war refugees.

After the War, the SSF regained its former membership. In 1948, the SSF sponsored its first post-war festival in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A great moral success, the festival drew nineteen participating choirs and thousands of Serbs from throughout the nation.

Hosts for the occasion were the seven Serbian choirs from the Pittsburgh area -Aliquippa, Clairton, Midland, Pittsburgh, Wilmerding, Youngwood and McKeesport-Duquesne.

Festivities got underway Saturday evening with dances at the Slovak Hall in McKeesport and the CIO Hall in Aliquippa. The highlight of the evening was the selection of a "Princess of Sevdah" by Vinka Ellesin, "Queen"of Sevdah singing. (Sevdah was aunique style of singing Serbian song.

At festivals, individual soloists competed for the title of King, Queen and Princess of Sevdah singing. Rasha Radenkovich was the reigning "King" of Sevdah; Vinka Ellesin the "Queen" and Sophia Topalsky (now Papich), the "Princess."

The following morning visiting choirs sang the liturgical responses at six of the Pittsburgh area churches.The Sunday afternoon concert at the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall featured periormances from nine member choirs.

Milan Petrovich

Special program soloist was Serbian baritone opera star, Milan Petrovich, who sang several classical compositions in addition to solos with the Gary "Karageorge" and Steubenville "Petar Krstich" choirs. Two dances Sunday evening brought singers together -one at the Slovak Hall in McKeesport and the other at the Serbian Hall in Midland.

Danitza (Danica) Ilitsch

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St. Elijah Choir of Aliquippa with Professor Boris Dobrovolsky

After a morning of sightseeing, choral societies presented their second program Monday afternoon in the renowned CarnegieMusic Hall. Special festival soloist was the famous Serbian-born opera star, Daniza lIitsch, who was singing with the MetropolitanOpera.  Her solo in Isidor Bajich's beautiful and lyrical lullaby "Uspavanka Mome Sinu Vladimiru" with the Aliquippa GIrls Choir marked a most spectacular and memorable performance. Every note of the festival was recorded by the U.S. State Departmentand eight songs were selected for broadcasting over the "Voice of America"

 THE SSF AND POST WORLD WAR II 

After World War II, composer Ljubomir M. Bosnjakovich traveled to the various provinces in Yugoslavia gathering many folk songs and composed some fifty choral works he sent exclusively to the SSF.

The works were called "Splets" and contained songs from a particular area in Yugoslavia, for example: • "Dalmatinke" • "Bosanski Splet" • "Crnogorski Splet" • "Vojvodjanke" • "Dinarski Splet" • "Licki Splet", etc. 

Recognizing the great contributions of the aging composer, the SSF voted to send Ljubomir Bosnjakovich a lifetime monthly stipend. Bosnjakvich lived on the Dalmatian island of Hvar. He was considered an outstanding choral composer of Serbian folk music. He completed the finishing touches on his grand opera "Robinja," based on the first insurrection of the Serbs against the Turks. A true musical masterpiece is Bosnjakovich's cantata, "Albanska Golgota," which is a musical interpretation of Serbia's turbulent years of World War I. 

The late Vlajko Lugonja, in writing a biography of the composer said: "When one surveys the output of present-day composers of choral music, Ljubomir Bosnjakovich truly may be called 'the last of the Mohicans' as far as pure Serbian folk music is concerned." 

The decades following the war saw the continued success and prosperity of the SSF in perpetuating Serbian music on the North American continent. Choirs continued to organize, and newly formed ones eagerly joined the national singing federation.

Festival participation remained strong and has become one of the foremost national Serbian events held each year. Annual singing festivals have become "the" musical event of the year and have gathered thousands of Serbs each Memorial Day weekend for a gala event and rewarding musical experience.

The greatest honor for a Serbian artist was to be the soloist at a national choral festival. To be picked to sing to and for the singers was the most coveted engagement - a veritable command performance - of which any singer would be proud.

Over the years, the SSF has been blessed with the appearance of many fine soloists at festivals. Their sacrifice of time and willingness to perform, have offered a special touch of class to SSF festivals. What would festivals have been without hearing: Vinka Ellesin; Mitar Bulatovich; Milan Timotich; Angelina Vlajkovich; Sophia Topalsky Papich; Helen Tomich; Rasha Radenkovich; Danica Chirich; Uros Seferovich; Militza Kosanchich; Mija Novich; Milutin Lazich; Paul Zelich.

(Paul Bielich) 

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SSF MOVES ON

Headquarters in Detroit, Michigan

Although the Federation cooperates with the Serbian Orthodox Church on a national basis and all of our churches on a local level, the SSF is a separate, non-profit organization, founded for the purpose of organizing, developing and coordinating the efforts of its member choirs through festivals, conventions, choral workshops, scholarship funds and recordings.

The primary responsibility of each member choir is to sing responses to the Divine Liturgy every Sunday in their local churches. Through its choirs, the SSF seeks to perpetuate the priceless cultural heritage of their church and secular music among Americans and Canadians of Serbian descent.

The SSF has always supported a healthy relationship with the Serbian Orthodox Church on this continent. Many of our choirs were blessed to have participated in the visits by His Holiness +Patriarch Pavle to sing responses in the churches he visited. 

The Serbian National Federation was once the Greatest Benefactor of the Serbian Singing Federation. Their monthly stipend, in addition to their generosity in publishing the SSF and its member choirs in the American "Srbobran," enabled the SSF to continue to prosper and grow. 

Annual conventions are held in September, alternating host choir colonies from east to west. We have traveled as far west as San Diego to St. George Serbian Singing Society where we were honored with the presence of actor Karl Malden, son of our first SSF President Petar Sekulovich, as our keynote speaker. 

Annual festivals are held in May, also alternating host choir colonies from east to west. We were honored being hosted by St. Steven's, Alhambra - one of the farthest west choirs; the Stevan Hristich Serbian Choir of Phoenix; and the S.S.S. St. Nicholas of Omaha in the heart of the Midwest. 

In 2004 at the Cleveland festival hosted by S.S.S. Njegosh, the Branko Radichevich Choir of Nis, Serbia graced our festival stage with magnificence! Their appearance marked for the first time ever that a choir from our fatherland appeared at a SSF Festival.

Sava Miric, General Secretary of the Federation of Serbian Choirs of Serbia, and Aleksander Vujic, renowned composer and musical director presented to SSF President, Donna Medich, a gift of the Mokranjac Books and a gold medal… gifts from the choir, Federation and Patriarchate. The Serbian Singing Federation publishes a quarterly newsletter, the "SSF Hi-Notes," to keep individual singers informed of other member choirs and the SSF itself.

The news publication is fortunate to have been managed by the very capable and talented editors over the years, namely: Danica Buncich Wess; Nikola Borota;  Rose Kosanovich;  Paul Bielich;  Donna Medich;  Holly Jovanovich; Jelena Stojakovich.  

In addition, the SSF maintains a website, www.serbiansingingfederation.org, for the general public and its member choirs.

Here you can find: SSF History;  SSF Major Events (Choral Workshop, Festival, &Convention);  Annual Calendar of Concert Events;  Churches with SSF Choirs;  SSF Merchandise;  Scholarship Information;  Information on Joining the SSF Member Area: SSF Published Music Database;  Meeting Minutes (Executive Board Minutes and Convention Minutes);  "Hi Notes" editions;  Photos of special events;  Announcements;  Choir Roster and Address List;  SSF By-Laws;  Classified Ads;  Related Links. 

The SSF proudly sponsors an annual Choral Workshop.  Started by John G. Wuchenich in 1968, the Choral Workshop is a three-day seminar for both director and singer that enlightens and informs participants in musical instruction . The development and uniqueness of Serbian music, both liturgical and secular, is its primary focus.

The Sunday Divine Liturgy affords workshop participants the opportunity to implement what they have learned by either directing or singing. The workshop site rotates around the North American continent to enable all singers an opportunity to participate.

The SSF was grateful to the Workshop Faculty namely Dr. Rick Zivic, Dr. Nikola Resanovic and Professor Milutin Lazich who gave unselfishly of their time to organize and deliver instruction at each Choral Workshop.

We were fortunate to include the local host choir's director as an addition to faculty at each workshop. We were also fortunate to have had Dr. Miso Drobac of the SOCA Music Faculty participate with our faculty at numerous Choral Workshops. Each choir is permitted two delegates to represent it at the annual convention. These delegates must be eighteen years of age or older and must have been active singing members for at least SIX months prior to the convention date.

The choir's SSF dues must be paid through August of that year to be considered a choir In good standing. Bids for convention, festival and choral workshop weekends for the following year are accepted at this time, reports are heard, pledges for the scholarship funds are accepted and plans for the future are discussed and advanced. New officers are elected for the following year. 

At the 1975 Convention, Johnstown St. Petka Choir President, Sylvester Gjurich presented Vlajko with a portrait donated by the St. Petka Serbian Orthodox Choir. 

At the 54th S.S.F. Festival, held in Chicago, Illinois in 1995, the Serbian Singing Federation launched a new award to pay tribute and honor one of its SSF Choral Directors. The award is given at the Festival to a director who has made significant contributions to the preservation and perpetuation of Serbian song, not only with his or her own choir, but for the entire Serbian Singing Federation as well. The award was named the Adam N. Popovich Distinguished Director Award.  Recipients of the award include: 

Adam N. Popovich (South Chicago);  Slobodan Zelich (Steubenville) ; Milan Medich (South Bend);   Nada Milosevich;  (Lackawanna);  V. Rev. Milan Bajich (Kansas City);  Dr. Rick Zivic (Cleveland; Dusan Saula (Monroeville); V. Rev. Milan Markovina (Milwaukee);  Dr. Nikola Resanovic (Akron);  Milutin Lazich (Monroeville); Mildred Beaver (Midland); Eliaabeth Neskow (Chicago); Protinica Mira Stojsavljevic (Hamilton); Ann Renard (Omaha); Milka Chuk (Windsor); Barbara Topich (Pittsburgh); and Alexandra Starcevich (Joliet). 


EARLY SSF FESTIVALS

New choirs were organized, old ones reactivated, and following a long series of articles in the American Srbobran, a national choral festival was called for May, 1936 on Memorial Day weekend in Akron, Ohio.

Sixteen choirs responded to this first festival. Thousands of visiting Serbs, including more than 1,000 from members of Serbian choral societies, flocked to Akron to participate and enjoy the SSF's First Choral Festival!

THE MAKSIMOVICH BROTHERS!

The former Royal Yugoslav Government was approached by a quartet of famous young singers, the Maksimovich Brothers, and they were given traveling expenses to appear at this First Festival.

The city of Akron decorated the streets and a huge 'Welcome Serbian Singers" sign lined its Main Street. The hotels were so overcrowded that some singers were housed in the police station and others in a hospital. 

In the early organizational days of the Serbian Singing Federation, member choirs were divided into two divisions - east and west - and generally into three categories: mixed; male; and female. Festivals were held every two years and were of competitive nature. Eliminations were held in both the western and eastern divisions, culminating in the final contest. 

The Famed Pupin Cup!

Three of the most qualified, paid, professional judges in the hosting city were contracted to choose the best singing choir using an arithmetical rating system. One of the judges was Serbian or of some other Slavic descent, acting as a guide on proper diction, style and interpretation while the other two handled the more technical aspects of the compositions. 

It was an exciting era, for choirs and audiences reaped the sounds of the finest in Serbian choral compositions. The competitive festivals kept the choirs at the top of their strength, numerically and musically, inspired them to attend rehearsals, cooperate, plan for the future  and consider their singing more seriously. They brought out the best efforts on the part of the directors, some of which needed the little stimulant only a competitive festival could bring forth. 

It was that something "extra," which old timers will remember from past festivals. From the point of audience appeal, the competitive festivals drew much more because of the interest people naturally have in a contest between young groups for excellence in their chosen field of musical art. 

Searching for appropriate awards for contest winners, SSF Secretary, Vlajko Lugonja, prevailed upon Mrs. Barbara Pupin Smith to donate a silver cup in memory of her father, inventor Mihajlo Pupin, who was a lover of choral singing and an admirer of the SSF movement. The first prize winner gained possession of the coveted Michael Pupin Memorial Cup, a masterpiece of hand wrought English sterling silver valued then at $1,500.00. The male choirs competed for the Nikola Perazich Cup and the girls' choirs for a cup donated by the Serbian Womens' organizations. 

The "Pupin Cup" quickly became the envied symbol that all choirs strived to obtain . Professor Alexander Savine, the internationally famous composer and choral director, whose able and patient tutoring of the younger generation of singers of "Branko Radichevich" brought this group to the foreground of Chicagoland singing choirs. They won the highest honors, winning the SSF National Championship both at the 1936 and the 1938 Festivals. In 1940, Cleveland's "Njegosh" Choir won the National Championship and the right to the "Pupin Cup" for a year. 

The SSF wisely discontinued competitive festivals because many singers went away disappointed.

It was decided to "sing for the glory of God and the honor of our people," believing that if a choir of 30-40 singers was able to make a 200-300 mile trip, that was award enough.

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THE SSF TRADITION CONTINUES

A great CD produced for the 72nd Anniversary

The tradition of choir concerts has continued to remain a stronghold within the SSF.

Choirs annually sponsor a concert inviting another distant SSF member choir to be their weekend guests.  It is here that Serbian hospitality, music, and song are united to establish life-long friendships among singers.

Choirs anticipate with great enthusiasm the invitation to be the guests of another member choir. 

Most important to the success of any choir, is its choir director. Recognizing the fact that the directors of all member choirs are important, a history of the SSF would not be complete without naming those who have achieved and contributed to the national SSF scene, namely:

Adam N. Popovich; Siobodan Zelich; Nada Milosevich; Nikola Resanovic; V. Rev. Milan Markovina; V. Rev. Sava Vujkov; Alexander Savine; Boris Dobrovolsky; V. Rev. Dr. Milan G. Popovich; V. Rev. Milan Bajich; Milan Medich; Milutin Lazich, Dr. Rick Zivic, and Milan Damljanovich.

In addition to the supreme directing talents of these choral directors, and most importantly, many have functioned as a composer and provided many choral compositions for our member choirs. 

America's Bicentennial did not go by unnoticed, as choirs from coast to coast participated in Bicentennial concerts.

Of notable accomplishment in the Midwest were Milwaukee's S.S.S. Stevan Sijacki and South Chicago's S.S.S. Sloboda who combined in a musical extravaganza to perform Ljubomir Bosnjakovich's cantata "Albanska Golgota," among other compositions. The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and Chicago Civic Orchestra cooperated in providing orchestral accompaniment to the two concert programs.

In the East, the Petar Krstich Serbian Choir of Steubenville, Ohio likewise celebrated the Bicentennial with a grand performance of the "Albanska Golgota." 

The SSF returned to the city of Akron, Ohio for the Bicentennial Festival that drew a record number of choirs, participants and spectators. The Stevan Hristich Serbian Choir of Phoenix, Arizona sacrificed over $8,000 to make the trip to Akron, accepting the SSF's invitation to be the coveted Honored Church Choir for the festival, and the first Western choir to appear at an SSF festival. 

Saturday's concert was held in the new and modern St. Archangel Michael Serbian Hall, while Sunday's concert was held in the beautiful and spacious performing arts building of the University of Akron.

Mrs. Sophia Papich, Festival Guest Soloist entertained concert-goers at the Sunday performance in her special style that has acclaimed her among the best of Serbian soloists.

The festival "piece de resistance" was the rendering of Bosnjakovich's "Albanska Golgota" by the Petar Krstich Serbian Choir of Steubenville, Ohio. 

As the nation paid tribute to its Founding Father, the Serbian Singing Federation likewise honored its Founder, Vlajko M. Lugonja.

A gala, grand testimonial sponsored by the S.S.S. Ravanica was held in his honor at the Hillcrest Country Club in suburban Detroit. Singers gathered from many choirs and colonies to pay tribute to their Founder. 

In failing health, Vladimir M. Lugonja, Founder of the Serbian Singing Federation and perhaps the greatest Serbian/American youth leader in the history of Serbs on this continent, died on Tuesday, September 27, 1977.

He is buried at the St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Monastery Cemetery in Libertyville, Illinois. Today the efforts and wisdom of this capable and dedicated man can be credited as being the prime factor in whatever success the Serbian Singing Federation has attained.

His influence still is felt in the Serbian Singing Federation, our Serbian Orthodox Church and in other Serbian organizations.

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SSF – LEAVE A HERITAGE OF SONG

The greatest wealth of the Serbian Singing Federation is in its Library, comprising the works of 96 Serbian composers with thousands of musical scores, many in their original hand-written manuscript form. It has been said that the Federation's library is more complete than any Serbian music collection in the world.

The publishing of Serbian choral compositions is an important aspect of the Serbian Singing Federation. Close to 200 compositions have been published which are furnished gratis to member choirs.

Publication costs are often defrayed by donations from individuals and/or organizations that contribute toward the publication of a musical composition.

In keeping withthe times, we have scanned our published works and have categorized them in a database, available to our choirs on the SSF website .
Although many individuals have lent assistance in the necessary pre-publication tasks, we are extremely grateful to +Dragie Cucujlevich Zuzuly of South Chicago; +V. Rev . Milan Markovina of Milwaukee; Dr. Nikola Resanovic of Akron; and Milan Damljanovic of Cleveland deserve special recognition and tribute. Their time, efforts, and talents are responsible for a great many of the SSF publications, namely:
A composite book of responses to the Divine Liturgy. Affectionately referred to as the "green book," by singers, this composite Liturgy is still in use and demand by many choirs today and necessitated a reprinting in recent yearsThe "Badnjak" book, a composite of Christmas hymns and carolsThe English LiturgyThe Dusan Kotur LiturgyThe Stevan Sijacki LiturgyThe Isidor Bajich LiturgyA composite book of Nikola Resanovic's "Fifteen Sastavs".

The greatest stride forward for the SSF during the last three decades has been the establishment of a permanent Headquarters and Library.

A fund raising campaign was begun to solicit funds for the purpose of purchasing a permanent home and adding to the Library everything available in Serbian music, either published, copied, or photocopied, for the perpetuation of our heritage and song in all its various forms.

In 1984, with the approval of the Convention in South Cr1icago, a lifelong dream came true when a building was purchased at 26356 John R Road , Madison Heights, Michigan. The move into the new building occurred on November 30, 1984 and the Serbian Singing Federation had its home. The donations of countless numbers of churches, organizations and individuals, including SSF Great Benefactor, +William Tyirinof Cincinnati , Ohio, enabled the SSF to pay off the mortgage on its Headquarters building in two years.